Writing
Third Grade
First Quarter
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Teacher Expectations
Give students a baseline narrative
prompt. Save in portfolio.
Introduce 3 kinds of writing through
selected picture books.
Continue to identify these types of
writing with each book you present.
Use summarizing frameworks with
each piece of literature.
Introduce good beginnings
Review Beginning-Middle-End (B-ME).
Introduce the NC Scoring Rubric and
have students practice scoring sample
prompts.
Introduce, model, and practice
elaborative detail.
Practice writing entertaining
descriptions related to literature or
content being studied.
Use literature to show details for
description.
Introduce sensory sentence starters for
description.
In addition to teaching narrative
writing, introduce students to friendly
letters.
Complete portfolio requirements and
routinely monitor student progress.
Demonstrate cursive handwriting and
hold students accountable for legible
manuscript handwriting.
Mitchell County Schools, 3rd Gr., 1st Quarter, 2008-09
Writing Features
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3 kinds of writing: Narrativecharacter/problem/solution;
Narrative-personal experience; and
Expository
Writing Diamond
Good Beginnings
Elaborative Detail
Show, Don’t Tell
Friendly letters
Five Features of Writing (Focus,
organization, Support and
Elaboration, Style & Conventions)
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Suggested Prompts
Baseline narrative prompt
“Pencil Pages” from Empowering
Writers Guide
Site-based decisions about which
prompts to use at each grade level to
prevent overlap
Mentor Texts/Teacher Resources
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The Comprehensive Writing Guide
(Empowering Writers)
Scott-Foresman reading series
Great Grammar Adventure (NC
DPI)
List of suggested book titles
Conventions
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Week 1-Sentences
Week 2-Subjects and predicates
Week 3-Statements and questions
Week 4- Commands and exclamations
Week 5-Compound sentences
Week 6-Common and proper nouns
Week 7-Singular and plural nouns
Week 8-Irregular plural nouns
Portfolio Suggestions
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MCS Baseline Narrative Prompt
Good Beginning (example of a good
beginning using Empowering Writers
as a resource)
Friendly letters
Miscellaneous
Writing
Third Grade
Second Quarter
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Teacher Expectations
Continue to identify different
genres and summarizing literature
with frameworks.
Continue to use critical questions to
help with elaborative detail.
Continue to model and practice
using elaborative detail.
Introduce critical settings,
characters and objects.
Model and practice developing
settings with elaborative detail. Use
sensory sentence starters.
Review the Writing Diamond and
B-M-E.
Review and reteach skills as
necessary.
Conference one-on-one to help with
individual needs.
Complete portfolio requirements
and routinely monitor student
progress.
Continue to teach correct
capitalization rules
Continue to teach correct
subject/verb agreement
Continue to demonstrate a variety
of complete sentences
Continue to demonstrate cursive
handwriting and hold students
accountable for legible manuscript
and cursive documents.
Mitchell County Schools, 3rd Gr., 2nd Quarter, 2008-09
Writing Features
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Critical Settings/Objects/Characters
Elaborative detail
Simple beginnings, middle and end
“Show, Don’t Tell”
Introduction of Writing Resourcesdictionary and thesaurus
Figurative Language-similes,
metaphors, onomatopoeia, etc.
Conventions
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Week 1-Singular possessive nouns
Week 2-Plural possessive nouns
Week 3-Action and linking verbs
Week 4-Main and helping verbs
Week 5-Subject verb agreement
Week 6-Present, past, future tense
Week 7-Irregular verbs
Week 8-Singular and plural nouns
Week 9-Subject and object pronouns
and possessive pronouns
Suggested Prompts
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“Pencil Pages” from Empowering
Writers Guide
Teacher-made prompts
Site-based decisions about which
prompts to use at each grade level to
prevent overlap
Mentor Texts/Teacher Resources
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The Comprehensive Narrative Writing
Guide (Empowering Writers)
Scott-Foresman reading series
Great Grammar Adventure (NC DPI)
Suggested book list
Portfolio Suggestions
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2nd MCS Writing Prompt
Simple Imaginative Narrative
(including a good beginning,
critical character or object, setting
and some elaborative detail)
Miscellaneous
Writing
Third Grade
Third Quarter
Teacher Expectations
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Continue to identify different
genres and summarizing literature
with frameworks.
Continue to model and use critical
questions to help with elaborative
detail.
Introduce techniques for building
suspense. (teacher judgment)
Continue to model and practice
elements involved in the main
event and endings.
Model and practice using
previously introduced story
elements.
Model writing complete personal
and imaginative narratives using
all learned skills.
Continue conferencing with
students.
In addition to narrative writing,
introduce poetry.
Model, share, and practice writing
and reading poetry.
Complete portfolio
requirements and routinely
monitor student progress.
Model using topic sentences,
supporting details, appropriate
and logical sequence, and
sufficient detail in writings of
two or more paragraphs.
Review all previously taught
skills.
Mitchell County Schools, 3rd Gr., 3rd Quarter, 2008-09
Writing Features
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Suspense (teacher judgment)
Stronger Main Event
Stronger Good Endings
Different types of poetry
Suggested Prompts
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“Pencil Pages” from Empowering
Writers Guide
Site-based decisions about which
prompts to use at each grade level to
prevent overlap
Teacher-made prompts
Mentor Texts/Teacher Resources
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Conventions
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Week 1-Contractions
Week 2-Prepositions
Week 3-Adjectives and articles
Week 4-Adjectives that compare
Week 5-Adverbs
Week 6-Adverbs that compare
Week 7-Conjunctions
Week 8-Abbreviations
Week 9-Review
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The Comprehensive Writing Guide
(Empowering Writers)
Scott-Foresman reading series
Great Grammar Adventure (NC DPI)
Refer to suggested book list
Portfolio Suggestions
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MCS 3rd Writing Prompt
Student Revision of 3rd MCS Writing
Prompt (after teacher/student conference)
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Imaginative Narrative (including good
beginning, middle and end)
Poetry
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Writing
Third Grade
Fourth Quarter
Writing Features
Teacher Expectations
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Continue to review all aspects
of a good narrative.
Continue to focus on key
features of the Writing
Diamond.
Stress elaborative detail, and
strong beginnings, middles, and
endings.
Conference frequently one-onone with students to help with
individual needs.
Read aloud and publish final
copies of narratives.
Introduce students to simple
research, note-taking, report
writing, and learning logs
Model and practice writing
instructions and directions.
Complete portfolio
requirements and routinely
monitor student progress.
Continue to monitor student
progress in creating readable
documents in manuscript and
cursive handwriting.
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All Aspects of Writing Diamond
Notes
Reports
Instructions/directions
Learning Log
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“Pencil Pages” from Empowering
Writers Guide
Site-based decisions about which
prompts to use at each grade level to
prevent overlap
Teacher-made prompts
Mentor Texts/Teacher Resources
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Conventions
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Combining sentences
Commas
Quotations
Continue to review spelling strategies
in writing and proofreading
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The Comprehensive Narrative Writing
Guide (Empowering Writers)
Scott-Foresman reading series
Great Grammar Adventure (NC DPI)
Refer to suggested book list
Portfolio Suggestions
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Review all grammar skills
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Mitchell County Schools, 3rd Gr., 4th Quarter, 2008-09
Suggested Prompts
Personal narrative (that has all elements
of the Writing Diamond)
Imaginative narrative (that has all
elements of the Writing Diamond)
Note-taking
Short Report
Learning Log (science or social
studies)
Directions and Instructions
Student’s Name ____________________________ School Year _________________
School _____________________________________ Teacher ____________________
Third Grade Writing Portfolio Checklist
1st Quarter
________ 1st MCS Baseline Narrative
Prompt
(Imaginative Narrative)
________ Good Beginning (example of
a good beginning using
Empowering Writers as a
resource)
________ Friendly letters
2nd Quarter
_________ 2nd MCS Writing Prompt
(Imaginative Narrative)
_________ Simple Imaginative Narrative
(including a good beginning, critical
character or object, setting and some
elaborative detail)
________ Misc.______________________
________ Misc.____________________
3rd Quarter
________ MCS 3rd Writing Prompt
(Personal Narrative)
________Student Revision of 3rd MCS
Writing Prompt (after
Teacher/student conference)
________Imaginative Narrative
(including good beginning,
middle and end)
________Poetry
________ Misc.____________________
4th Quarter
_________Personal narrative (that has
all elements of the Writing
Diamond)
_________Imaginative narrative (that
has all elements of the
Writing Diamond)
_________Note-taking
_________Short Report
_________Learning Log (science or
social studies)
_________Directions/ Instructions
**Staple student/teacher conference notes and all evidence of student’s writing process
to original student work before filing in portfolio.
Mitchell County Schools, 2008-09